


in between almosts

by iwillstillopenthewindow



Category: Haikyuu!!
Genre: Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Apocalypse, Apocalypse, Established Relationship, KageHina Week, M/M, No one will die I promise, Zombie Apocalypse
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-12-07
Updated: 2014-12-07
Packaged: 2018-02-28 12:29:58
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,614
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2732594
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/iwillstillopenthewindow/pseuds/iwillstillopenthewindow
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>They're trying their best not to break down in a world that's already broken.</p><p>For Kagehina week.</p>
            </blockquote>





	in between almosts

**Author's Note:**

> Shoutout to [Caitlyn](http://www.tatsumiyaa.tumblr.com) because I included one of her ideas from our twitter messages when we talked about the fic's plot (which I changed because of reasons;;;). Also, Kageyama and Hinata are already together. Oh wait, they _are_...
> 
> **Prompt: Chronos || _“Will you remember that I existed, and I stood next to you here like this?”_**
> 
>  **EDIT:** This will remain a one-shot. Other fics that I'll be writing for Kagehina Week will be posted individually.

 

The first thing that Kageyama sees when he wakes up is a very unfamiliar ceiling.

 

Confusion comes first. His eyes focus on a stain on the concrete until panic settles in because the last time he’s checked, there are no blood splatters on their ceiling.

His arms protest, but he makes them push him up. His legs ache, but he stands as his eyes dart around the room. Kageyama sees the usual: corpses, rubble and blood. The familiarity, though morbid, makes him relax a bit. He breathes just as he feels the anxiety roll around in his stomach, forces his still numb mind to think, to think, to think—

Yes. They went outside. They went outside to scavenge for food. He remembers that much, he remembers someone shouting and fighting, people trying to shove the canned goods they found into their own bags, saying they need it more than the others, and Kageyama remembers the pain when someone hit him with a baseball bat.

Kageyama winces when he moves his left arm, where a dark bruise is starting to form. Ah, yes, they got him on the arm. He must’ve hit his head when he fell. Glancing back at where he passed out, he thanks whoever’s still looking over him because he narrowly missed hitting his head on a pile of bricks.

That observation doesn’t really help in calming his nerves, and he tells himself that freaking out would be counterproductive. He knows this place, he’s been here before and he can get out of here again.

Kageyama sees his backpack a few meters away. His fully loaded gun is still inside, making him heave a sigh of relief. He holds on to it and walks with his back to the wall until he reaches the door. He mentally counts to five before pushing it open. He peeks outside with his gun raised, his eyes searching for any sign of movement. Everything is still, but Kageyama waits for another five seconds before he deems it okay to step outside.

Outside, there are more corpses, more rubble, more blood and more destruction, signs that the human race is practically doomed, nothing new. It’s definitely strange that he hasn’t encountered any of _them_ yet, so when he turns at the corner and one run straight at him, he isn’t even surprised.

Kageyama aims, waits for it to come a bit closer, and shoots. He uses up two bullets, both now embedded in its skull as it moans and falls to the ground, dead. Again, that is.

As he trudges down the rocky path, he sees more of _them_ in the distance, but he knows it’s better to ignore them if they’re not really attacking him. The gunshots will only alert the others and he’s in no condition to fend off a horde. Kageyama begins walking faster while trying his best not to cause any unnecessary noise.

 

The sky is getting darker and his leather jacket doesn’t protect him much from the cold air. Just as his bruised arm starts begging for his attention, the gates come into view.

Leaning against the immense stone wall is one of the guards, Kuroo. Kageyama’s seen him more than enough times, almost every time he gets back from a mission. Most of the time, he sees him fooling and joking around with his friends.

Kageyama may have considered asking the leader of their sector about Kuroo’s credibility, since guarding the gates, guarding the wall that keeps their small community safe, is one of the most important jobs he knows of. He may have, but seeing that Kuroo’s the head of the security and they haven’t gotten a single break-in case, Kageyama lets him off the hook.

His opinion about Kuroo lowers a bit (again) when he stops in front of the gates and Kuroo gets that annoying smirk on his face (again).

“Hey, Kageyama.” He greets, handing his gun to a fellow guard, who immediately protests because they haven’t checked Kageyama yet, what if he’s already one of _them_?

Kuroo waves off his colleague’s concern, says “Relax. If those zombies got a good one out of him, I doubt Kageyama would even come back here,” and raises a scanner to Kageyama’s eyes.

Ten seconds. If the light is green, you’re safe. If it’s red, well, Kageyama doesn’t really want to know what happens if you get red.

The scanner beeps and Kuroo throws it to his companion. “He’s green. Told you so.” 

As Kuroo signals for the gates to be opened, he smirks at Kageyama again and congratulates him, ‘for being alive,’ apparently.

Kageyama mutters a dry “Thanks,” but his eighteen-year-old mind rolls its eyes. While being alive _is_ something to be proud of, considering how hard it is not to get bitten, _being alive_ is quite bland compared to actually _living_.

He heads to the tallest building in their sector, where the higher-ups are. The streets are starting to get empty for most residents retire to their homes every evening when the clock strikes six, just as the street lights are switched on.

The guards greet him as Kageyama enters the establishment and he spares them a nod. He gets on the only elevator, presses the button for the fifth floor, and waits. The doors slide open and the secretary stands up to bow at him. Kageyama nods again, before knocking twice on the wooden door.

A gruff “Come in” comes from inside the room and Kageyama does so. Sitting behind a cluttered table is the leader of their sector, Daichi, his face grave as he mulls over some papers. Relief spreads through his face when he sees Kageyama fidgeting by the door.

“You’re the only one from your group that’s come back,” Daichi gravely says as he puts down the documents. “So far.”

They both know that ‘so far’ is nothing but false hope, but like what a certain someone always tells Kageyama, they could use every bit of hope that they can get.

He sits down on the wooden chair in front of Daichi’s table and begins his report. When Kageyama gets to the part where everything went down the drain, Daichi’s face hardens and he looks like a few seconds away from calling an emergency meeting to once again emphasize the need for camaraderie. Kageyama doesn’t blame him. The situation outside the wall is not improving in any way, and if they don’t get their shit together, well, they may as well just give up.

After filling up some forms, Daichi thanks him for his hard work and tells him to wait for further assignments, which may be awhile. Kageyama stands up, bows, and leaves. He buries his face deeper into his jacket as he exits the building, the cold air now mercilessly attacking him.

 

He’s thankful that his home is also in the center of the compound, only a couple of blocks away from headquarters. It’s nine-thirty P.M. when he unlocks the front door and steps out of his boots.

“…I’m home.” Kageyama announces to the brightly lit living room.

It’s been ten seconds, his mind whispers, so Kageyama tries again. Once more, he only gets silence as a reply.

“I’m home!” Kageyama repeats, louder. He jogs to the kitchen and when he sees that no one’s there, he calls out, “Hinata!”

He hears a sound come from the bedroom and he follows it immediately. Kageyama flings the door open to see Hinata face down on the floor.

“Oi, dumbass. What are you doing—”

“Kageyama you jerk!” Hinata screams as he jumps up to his feet. “You almost gave me a heart attack!”

Kageyama frowns at the way Hinata’s pointing at him, as though _he’s_ the one at fault.

“I was calling for you. You weren’t answering.”

“Well I was waiting for you—don’t glare at me like that—okay, I _tried_ to wait for you but I got sleepy.” Hinata looks away as he mumbles the last part, a ‘welcome back’ hidden somewhere in the words.

Kageyama raises an eyebrow at this. Hinata doesn’t just fall asleep that easily when he’s away. And Hinata, seeing the obvious confusion on Kageyama’s face, sighs as he sits on their bed.

“A few hours after your team left,” Hinata says as he pats the space next to him, an invitation for Kageyama to sit (which he graciously accepts). “Daichi sent me and some others to check out the old arcade. We got back this afternoon.”

Kageyama nods. He knows which arcade Hinata’s talking about. They’ve been there a few times before, both with the gang and with each other during their dates (only after they play volleyball in the park). He’s also been there after the world began shutting down. He was in a team with Hinata, who remained silent as they searched for survivors and anything that might come in handy. It’s a miracle that Hinata even woke up at the sound of Kageyama’s voice. If he’s the one who just got back from a mission, he would dead to the world for a few hours.

Hinata’s incessant tugging on his jacket brings him back to reality. Wordlessly, Kageyama allows Hinata to remove both his jacket and shirt.

“You’re really cold,” Hinata whispers as he places the palm of his hand on Kageyama’s chest. “Maybe you should get a new jacket. A better one.”

Kageyama glares at him. “If only _someone_ didn’t keep wearing it, maybe it would be a lot less worn out.”

He scoots until his bare back hits the bed’s headboard. Hinata stays where he is, a light blush on his cheeks as he pouts. He doesn’t resist when Kageyama pulls him by the arm or when Kageyama parts his legs until there’s enough space for Hinata to sit in between them.

Hinata only reacts when Kageyama starts burying his face in his messy hair, turns around and pushes Kageyama’s face away because “I still need to check you for injuries, Kageyama-kuuun.”

It’s routine. Whenever someone gets sent out of the walls for a mission, the one that stays checks him for any wounds, scars, and although none of them said it when they first came up with this weird practice, for bites. This time, since they both got sent out, they both get their turn.

Hinata’s already going on about how Kageyama should ice the bruise on his arm later as his hands wander to Kageyama’s face. He hums pleasantly when he only sees a couple of scratches. Kageyama’s eyes slowly close at the feeling of Hinata’s thumbs smoothing out the creases on his forehead.

But when Hinata reaches his neck and lets out a horrified gasp, Kageyama’s first instinct is to fling him to the other side of the room and run, run as far away as he can. Maybe he can stop by their friends’ houses, he can ask them to take care of Hinata because he’s an idiot who can never get out of trouble for too long—

“Kageyama,” Hinata breathes out. “Kageyama, you’ve got a bite.”

—to not let him go out of the compound alone because he’s probably going to die and Kageyama reaches for Hinata’s arms and grips them tightly, tries his best to keep the feeling in his memory and is ready (no not really he’ll never be ready) to let go when Hinata places both of his hands on the sides of Kageyama’s face.

“Oh wait.”

Kageyama does, impatiently because “Hinata you need to let go right now!” but he _does_ shut up when Hinata leans in to nuzzle his neck.

 Satisfied with the silence, Hinata pulls back with an apologetic smile.

“I forgot," He whispers. "That _I’m_ the one who did that.” 

Now Kageyama _really_ wants to fling him to the other side of the room and he thinks that Hinata should be thankful that his arms are around Kageyama’s shoulders, be thankful that it’s cold outside so Kageyama revels in the warmth that he has to offer, be thankful that his laughter makes up for all the horrible gunshots and garbled groaning Kageyama had to endure earlier, and be thankful that Kageyama’s brain is currently short-circuiting or else he would most definitely be picking himself up from the floor.

So a red-faced Kageyama settles for flicking Hinata’s forehead, which earns him a whine. Pouting, Hinata taps his chest.

“All done.” He says. He takes off his shirt as Kageyama puts his back on.

Like what Hinata did earlier, Kageyama starts with his face. He lets his fingertips trace the little scratches on Hinata’s cheeks, notes how it makes Hinata close his eyes and how red his nose is. He leans in and presses a soft kiss on Hinata’s lips. As he pulls back, Hinata slowly opens his eyes, his signature smile already in place.

When Kageyama’s hands travel downward, to his neck, Hinata places his hands on top of his.

“Hey, Kageyama.” Hinata whispers.

“Yeah?”

“What would you do if you found a bite on me?” Hinata asks, his hands going back to Kageyama’s cheeks to tilt his head up.

Kageyama actually looks lost. “…I won’t? Because you made me promise not to leave any marks after Tanaka noticed one on your neck last month—”

“I’m not talking about _that_ kind of bite!” Hinata shrieks, pinching Kageyama’s cheeks.

“Ow, _ow_. Quit it, dumbass.”

“I mean,” Hinata breathes in. “A _bite_ -bite. That kind of bite.”

Kageyama stills for a moment before he sighs.

“I told you, I won’t.” He says, his hands moving on top of Hinata’s, slowly moving them down to his chest.

Hinata hums, shuffling forward until he can rest his head on Kageyama’s shoulder. In return, Kageyama’s arms wind themselves around Hinata’s waist.

“Earlier,” Hinata whispers. “One of them almost got me.”

Kageyama’s fingers twitch. He moves, trying to get a better view of Hinata’s face. He doesn’t have to try that much, for Hinata’s staring straight at him, his eyes bright.

“They say that ‘almost’ is a pretty sad word.” Hinata says, lifting a hand to cup Kageyama’s cheek again. “I think they’re wrong.”

Kageyama leans in to his touch, grunting his approval.

“Almost lost, almost killed, almost died,” Hinata murmurs, a finger tapping Kageyama’s face with each point. “Those aren’t bad at all, huh?”

“Yeah.” Kageyama breathes out.

Hinata’s arms find their way around Kageyama, who presses his cheek against Hinata’s hair.

“But one day,” Hinata whispers. “One day, we might run out of ‘almost’s. And I guess that scares me.”

Kageyama doesn’t comment. Hinata knows he feels the same. Instead, he stares at the clock on their bedside table, watches the seconds hand move. That’s how they live their lives now, by the second.

“Hey, Kageyama.” Hinata calls out again.

“Hm?”

“In the future,” Hinata’s voice wavers. “You’re not going to forget about me, right?”

Kageyama’s arms tighten around Hinata’s form at the same time he feels his chest constrict.

“Dumbass,” Kageyama whispers. “How am I going to forget you when you’ll be there to remind me about how stupid you are?”

Hinata laughs as Kageyama feels the tears on his neck. Kageyama taps him on the back, making him look up. When he does, Kageyama leans in to kiss him, first on the forehead, then on the nose, and lastly on the lips.

It’s eleven P.M. when Hinata falls asleep in Kageyama’s arms. Kageyama, worried that Hinata may catch a cold, carefully puts his shirt back on before tucking him into bed. He takes his place—his body beside Hinata’s, his arms around Hinata’s waist, his face buried in Hinata’s hair—right after.

It’s eleven-thirty P.M. when sleep claims Kageyama as well.

 

 

**Author's Note:**

> Shoutout to [Caitlyn](http://www.tatsumiyaa.tumblr.com) because I included one of her ideas from our twitter messages when we talked about the fic's plot (which I changed because of reasons;;;). Oh wait, they _are_...  
>     
>  **Prompt: Chronos || _“Will you remember that I existed, and I stood next to you here like this?”_**
> 
>  **EDIT:** This will remain a one-shot. Other fics that I'll be writing for Kagehina Week will be posted individually.


End file.
